Frank Turner stands alone in a spotlight with nothing but his acoustic
guitar and the sound of a packed Junction singing back every single
word to the aptly titled Ballad Of Me and My Friends. Slowly his band
filter into the shadows behind him and together they launch into the
blistering single Reasons Not To Be An Idiot, not letting up the pace
even through new song Live Fast, Die Young, all of which seems to act
as a poetic metaphor for the man himself but let us do as he says and
begin at the beginning
Frank Turner by Andy Hixon
Frank has just returned to the backstage area after dinner
and is kindly offering me a beer. Hes not long finished an interview
with Radio One. I wonder whether they got offered a beer as well considering
he later confesses to me he enjoys my line of questioning more than
most he faces where he normally gets asked groundbreaking things such
as what his favourite colour is. Im more interested, however,
in finding out about the real Frank Turner though and so we start with
him summing up 2008 in one event.
The Scala Show in London. We sold out and its the biggest
show weve done. It just meant a lot to me. It was conformation
for me of things reaching a different level. I dont really listen
to the radio but I keep getting texts from my friends saying what
the fuck are you doing on the radio? So definitely my profile
has risen but its slightly academic for me because Im not
a radio listener but Scala you know Ive seen PJ Harvey
and stuff like that there. It was just mental and thats when it
hits me.
His rise onto the A list of radio stations up and down the country obviously
hasnt gone to his head and he even admits that he tries to not
think about his level of success as otherwise hes likely to disappear
up his ass quite fast. Franks got more important things
on his mind anyway like achieving his goal for 2009 of getting his third
album, due for release in the summer, absolutely right. He admits; realistically
if I get this album right then Ive got a shot at this for the
rest of my life and if I fuck it up then I dont. Whilst
the pressure may be mounting, the looming deadline appeals to Turners
puritan work ethic and the only issue facing him now is
the fact that he has too much material. One key difference we can look
forward to this time round, as opposed to on his first two albums (Sleep
Is For The Week and Love, Ire and Song), is that he intends to record
the band live instead of layering things up in the hope of capturing
the more energetic and raw sound he has on stage which captures the
real Frank Turner.
Id definitely say that the sound we make as a band when
we play live is better than the album stuff that weve put out
so far. I play with some amazing musicians and now were quite
tight so I think it would be madness to not take advantage of that.
The communality and inclusivity is very important to my music. For me
music is at its best when it transcends barriers between the performer
and the listener and when you play a gig and everyone sings along thats
just the pinnacle of what Im trying to achieve.
This is only too apparent at tonights gig where you can hear every
word that Turner sings echoed back at him from an audience that would
put most football crowds to shame. When Long Live The Queen is thrown
into the set like any other song you can feel every lyric resonating
throughout The Junction and, whilst Frank himself apparently remains
unmoved, you can see the visible affect of the sentiment on the people
watching as couples hold each other tighter, facial expressions change
and a lump is left in the throat. Everything Frank writes is real and
not, he says, because of any ideological position but simply because
that is what he is good at and finds most emotionally worthwhile. Whilst
talking about his last single he admits that he simply cant involve
himself in the emotion of it every time as the crowd may do because
otherwise hed lose his mind. Likewise he also wants to discard
the label that some seem to want to force upon him as the new Billy
Bragg for twenty-something punks.
I am by no means the first and I wont be the last to be
labelled with the new Billy Bragg thing. I think hes
an incredible song writer but his song writing is neglected publicly
and thats depressing as he writes much better love songs than
he writes political songs.
"I cant think of anything I dislike more than the idea of
revolution. Revolution ends in death and poverty every time and the
only revolution that didnt is the one that no-one talks about
which is the American Revolution. I come from a leftist youth and Im
not pretending that I didnt shout revolution, waving flags around,
when I was younger but as I grow up its seems more and more apparent
to me that the idea is a bad one. Im not trying to change anything
with my music. Music has never changed anything. Music is a soundtrack.
I know people who are very political and Ive got a lot of respect
for those people but Im a songwriter, I want to write songs, get
drunk and have a good time. So there is politics in my songs and if
I feel the need to say something then I will because Im lucky
enough to have a forum to express my opinions and I think thats
a valid and worthwhile form of expression but Im not trying to
change the world and, most emphatically, Im not going to try and
carry anyone elses banner.
After his stint with hardcore punk band Million Dead where every
snare hit had to be approved by everybody and resulted in the
members all hating each others guts by the time of
their split in 2005, Frank is just happy to do things his way and he
admits hes a very lucky camper who has got the best
of all worlds. He gets to tour with amazing musicians and yet still
retains the power of veto, surely every front mans dream! Life
hasnt always been so kind, however, and when Frank first began
to play solo acoustic shows he admits that no-one gave a fuck.
Im not trying to play the martyr but I did 18 months of
touring on a train with a guitar and a back pack and no-one came to
shows. I remember playing a basement somewhere in Cambridge (Cellar
Bar 8) and it was me and Sam Get Cape and there were 10 people. I think
I was playing through blind optimism which is why it makes me so happy
that things are going well now.
For the foreseeable future I cant imagine doing anything else.
To a certain extent the length of time I keep doing this depends on
my fortunes and I hope Im able to do it for a long time but its
just likely in the grand scheme of things that I wont be, although
Id like to. So I will probably have to get another job at some
point but Ill put it off as long as possible.
Which is good news for us as it means we can continue to enjoy his well
observed words, his infectious punk-folk melodies and the parties he
throws every time he is on stage. Tonight, in fact, turns out to be
a triple birthday celebration as well which Frank is only too happy
to allow to overshadow his own celebration tonight on the, much delayed,
last night of his current tour. Theres only one thing that matters
to him and even before I finish my penultimate question, which I naively
thought may be a difficult one, Frank has already answered and made
it quite clear that hed choose music over love every time.
My current missus knows that and I told her when we first got
together that if she ever tries to force me to a choice Im going
to choose music. Ive been wanting to do this since I was ten and
Ive known her for a year so its like dont fucking
push it. Its part of the fabric of my life. I couldnt
do anything else.
Tonight Ive met the real Frank Turner and Ive seen him live
on stage. He may well not be the new Billy Bragg and he may not want
to carry banners for anyone but he does remind us all that you can do
as much good with feeling as you can with any form of political protest.
As the evening draws to a close with Photosynthesis and Franks
warning that this will be our last chance to enjoy ourselves, every
single member of the audience can be heard chanting possibly the most
poignant lyric of the evening I wont sit down and
I wont shut up, and most of all I will not grow up. I conjure
up an image of an old Frank Turner still making his sharp and witty
observations as he enters the grave and when I ask him what words he
would leave behind he simply quotes Leonard Cohen because that is life
to him.
Like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be
free.
Word Glitter Bitch
Live Cambridge pix by Simon of Size
Photography, more here
http://www.myspace.com/frankturner
Thanks to Anthea at Press Counsel and The Junction
for their help in organising this interview
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